Looking for Spring Break family fun that’s close to home? For entertainment value (not to mention, the value of your dollar), you can’t go wrong with a family vacation to the Holland area.
From high-octane indoor recreation to artist workrooms where you can let your creative juices flow, the Holland area has something for everyone. Kids of all ages will love the wide variety of Spring Break activities, while parents will appreciate the kid-centric atmosphere that makes Holland one of the 10 Best Cities for Families.
Generations of kids have had fun splashing around at the Holland Aquatic Center. The city-owned attraction was named the best indoor public/nonprofit facility by Aquatics International, and that was before a $26 million improvement completed in 2022. A new, larger Splash Zone features a gigantic 150-foot indoor water slide and lazy river, as well as a zero-entry wading pool for little kids. Older kids will get a kick out of the center’s larger pool with diving boards, zip lining and massive inflatables.
The family changing rooms and private showers make a visit convenient for parents, too. And because there are lifeguards, adults can spend stress-free time in the fitness room with indoor walking track, or just relax in the hot tub, sauna or steam room.
Voted one of the country’s best trampoline parks, Urban Air in the Holland area has much more to do than just jumping. Offering ninja warrior courses, battle beams, a ropes course, tubes playground and a virtual reality gaming center, it’s the ultimate indoor adventure park with play spaces for kids of any age. Brave souls can even do flips while driving a bumper car!
No wonder Urban Air also has been named the Best Place to Take Energetic Kids.
For an indoor-outdoor experience that’s safe from the elements yet still gets you in touch with the natural world, visit the Critter Barn. The Holland-area attraction has a new location where you can pet a barn full of sheep, chicks, bunnies and other baby animals in the spring. You can even play farmer by collecting eggs in the coop or bottle feeding a kid (the baby goat kind!). Your kids will be wide-eyed with wonder, and you’ll have the photos to prove it.
On Spring Break, Critter Barn is open extended hours so you can spend more time with the cute little animals that kids and adults of all ages can’t get enough of.
If your kids enjoy letting their imaginations run wild, a visit to Paint a Pot in Holland provides a fantastic creative outlet. The whole family can pick out a mug, plate, platter or small figurine to paint however they choose. Then, your pottery gets fired in a kiln and comes out as a dishwasher- and oven-safe souvenir.
Anybody can do it, even little ones. There’s no experience necessary. Just come on in and make something fun to remember this Spring Break!
For another take on creating your own Spring Break memento, pop into Garsnett Beacon Candle Co. right in downtown Holland and make a custom candle. You get to experiment in the shop’s fragrance studio with more than 85 scents, then take your favorite oils and pour them into the container of your choice to create a real candle!
Do you like a bright, citrus scent or something more earthy? Maybe a combination of both! It’s up to you. Each member of the family can create a distinctive scent all their own.
Parents can treat the kids to some classic arcade fun and relive their own glory days at Holland’s BAM!, voted the Best Family Entertainment Center in West Michigan. Skee-Ball? Check. Bowling? Yep. There’s also a multi-level laser tag arena, high ropes course, climbing walls, escape rooms, axe throwing and more.
Plus, an on-site restaurant and bars will keep the kids fed and the adults at ease.
So, that’s a half-dozen Spring Break things to do on a Michigan staycation in Holland. There’s also lots more Spring Break fun you can have by playing around at Craig’s Cruisers Family Fun Center and Lost City Laser Tag Arena, or by browsing Holland’s indoor farmers market and watching wooden shoe carving at the De Klomp factory.
And if the weather’s nice, there’s lots to do outdoors in the Holland area in the spring, too. You can see the historic de Zwaan windmill at Windmill Island Gardens, one of many authentic Dutch attractions in the Holland area. You can explore over 1,800 acres of parks and trails in the Holland area such as the DeGraaf Nature Center preserve and the Outdoor Discovery Center. And, of course, you can visit Lake Michigan beaches for a glorious glimpse of summer. You might even see some of Holland’s world-famous tulips starting to peek through the soil!
